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Welcome to the forum!

No experience here with that vehicle.  But my opinion, I don't max out what the door sticker says I can do, I like a little room left for comfort.  That 6k pounds includes trailer/water/clothes/cookware/ food, etc.  I say the added is probably 1,500lbs so look at a 4.5lb camper?  I'm thinking lightweight pop-up or teardrop style camper but that's just my 2 cents.  That's towing weight, you have to check on tongue weight which is much lighter, then tire/axle weight ratings, brakes, etc.  Even that small, if not set up right could make for a towing/stopping nightmare.

Edited by NDBirdman

2002 Fifth Avenue RV (RIP) 2015 Ram 3500 Mega-cab DRW(38k miles), 6.7L Cummins Diesel, A668RFE, 3.73, 14,000 GVWR, 5,630 Payload, 27,300 GCWR, 18,460 Max Trailer Weight Rating(For Sale) , living in the frigid north, ND.

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Welcome to the Escapees Forum!!!

This calculator will help you figure out what trailers you can safely tow. If you already have the Pathfinder, load it with a full tank of fuel and all the passengers and gear that you will carry and get it weighed. Use this weight in the calculator to determine what trailer you can tow. If you do not own the pathfinder yet, select the trailer first and then match a tow vehicle to the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of the trailer. 

Another issue that is not discussed as often as weight is the relationship between tow vehicle wheelbase and trailer length. This website gives a good overview of this important consideration.

Again, welcome to the Escapees Forum!!

Edited by trailertraveler
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In a word, NO. The Pathfinder is a unibody construction light SUV. The maximum towing capacity is from 3,500 to 6,000 lbs. However, the biggest limiting factor is the payload (cargo) capacity. It may have a cargo capacity of up to 1,462 lbs. If the trailer has a gross weight of 6,000 lbs, the minimum tongue weight is 600 lbs plus about 80 lbs for the weight distribution hitch. That leaves 782 lbs for passengers, pets and any other stuff carried in the Pathfinder. 

Only certain specific models of Pathfinders are rated to tow 6,000 lbs. On the drivers door is a white sticker and a white sticker with yellow markings. The yellow sticker will tell you the towing and payload capacity of your specific Pathfinder. Post those numbers and we can tell you exactly what weight trailer your Pathfinder can safely tow.

Finally, as a rule of thumb, the gross weight of a travel trailer should NOT exceed 80% of the towing capacity of the towing vehicle (TV). The reason is the front, flat end of a travel trailer generates a lot of wind resistance. And, the large flat sides of a travel trailer acts as a huge sail which can be pushed around by passing semis and crosswinds. Even if your Pathfinder is one of the rare ones with a maximum towing capacity of 6,000 lbs., the 80% rule means you can only safely tow a maximum gross weight 4,800 lb travel trailer. 

Once you get the information from the yellow sticker, we can calculate the safe tow weight of a travel trailer for your specific Pathfinder.

If you try towing a 6,000 lb travel trailer, it will over stress and over heat the engine, transmission, and other drive train parts. It will be a miserable, white knuckle, and dangerous towing experience. You will experience the trailer wagging the dog (tow vehicle). Either get a better tow vehicle or much lighter travel trailer.

Edited by IBTripping

TT - 1996 Coachmen Catalina 24' bunkhouse

TV - 2004 Durango 4.7L V8

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On 3/8/2019 at 10:30 AM, rm.w/aview said:

 

As you research your Pathfinder, there's also a relationship of the tow vehicle's wheelbase & travel trailer length.

So coming back to elaborate, one guideline that's used by the RV Consumers Group is that the first 110" of wheelbase on your tow vehicle allows for a 20' travel trailer, and each additional 4" of wheelbase allows for 1' more of travel trailer. So a tow vehicle wheelbase of 146" is 36" more than the baseline of 110" which would allow 9 more feet, or a 29' travel trailer. Keep in mind that this is only a guideline and exceeding it by a small amount will not cause the world to end, but the further you go from the safe zone the more uncomfortable and perhaps dangerous the drive will be. Like carrying a sheet of plywood on a blustery day, the larger the sheet the greater the affect.

X2

TT - 1996 Coachmen Catalina 24' bunkhouse

TV - 2004 Durango 4.7L V8

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